Your Typical (Not) Fairy Tale
by Ephemeral Sanity
Summary: Elesis was the princess of the beautiful sleepy little kingdom of Velder. Problem is? She hates it and the fact everyone tries to make her act more "proper". One day, the absurdity of it all gets taken up to the eleven and in desperation, Elesis runs away and meets a talking bat who promises to show her some excitement. Well, she gets plenty of it... Elesis x Aren Rom-Com/ Fantasy
1. Your Perfect (Not) Princess- Elesis

**Your Typical (Not) Fairy Tale**

**Your Perfect (Not) Princess- Elesis**

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Velder was a sizable and well-respected kingdom, just northeast of wood-surrounded site of Feita, where scholars and magi were held in high respect and the number seven was all in the rage. The climate was moderate and unremarkable with mildly cold winters and lukewarm summers. The knights of the kingdom only kept their armor brightly polished for sport and the occasional jousting tournament for show- after all it had been at least a hundred and fifty years since a demon army had invaded and razed the city to the ground. There were the sporadic problems of some unruly knight who tried to contract with demons and incite rebellion but such problems were easily solved, via guillotine. Needless to say, Velder was a pleasant and affluent kingdom.

Elesis abhorred it with a bleeding passion.

The young red-haired princess was the second youngest child of the royal family of Velder, and to her parents she could be simply exasperating. The first three daughters were perfectly normal with sinuous roseate locks and cordial personalities and the youngest son was an amicable boy with spiky red hair and a solemn and poised demeanor. Elesis was enrapturing to, but her hair was a vivid shade of claret like her younger brother's and she wore it in a straight austere style with just a small braid to adorn it, not painstakingly styled with great care like her sisters.

And her attitude! When the people were being gracious, they said she was strong-willed and precocious, if they were particularly dour, they complained that she was as obdurate as an ass. Needless to say, her parents fretted that her conduct was certainly not becoming to a young lady of her class.

Determined to mold her into a reasonable semblance of a respectable princess, they put forward a preeminent effort. Using all the resources that were available to them, they hired the optimum tutors and governess to teach Elesis all the things a proper princess should know- dancing, style, etiquette, embroidery, and drawing, singing, and so on. To the young princess the amount of etiquette was simply mind-boggling. Everything from the proper way to curtsy while in a prince's presence to how loudly it was permissible to scream if you found yourself being kidnapped by a mob of glitters (Alas there was still the occasional problems of a rogue band of glitter demons.)

Of course Elesis being as spirited as she was found it rather trying, but she bit her tongue and sucked it up, suppressing her deepest desire to take a chair and whack one of her teachers over the head with it. Finally, it all became too much and she developed the habit of skiving off her classes in favor of going down to the castle armory. There she would smack the armsmaster around the shins a couple of times with a wooden training sword and berate him until he finally cracked and agreed to give her fencing lessons. As the princess grew older, she found her lessons becoming more tiring and tedious and consequently she started to cut her classes more and more often.

When she was thirteen, her father found out because her brother-Elsword squealed on her and she in retaliation tied him up like a pig (But that's a different story, end result is that Elesis got grounded, Elsword manages to be freed from the flagpole, and the armsmaster got fired.)

"What in all El is the meaning of this Elesis!? I raised you better than this! Fencing is not proper behavior for a princess." Her father chastised her, struggling to keep his voice in the calm and level tenor recommended by the royal psychologist. Elesis cocked her head to one side and assumed an air of vacuous docility and innocence. "Why not father dear?" Her father fidgeted around disconcertedly on the gilded throne of velvet and rose wood he was sitting on, tall and proud as a majestic bird of prey.

"It's… simply not done by a princess… ever…"

Elesis's eyelids fluttered shut obscuring her ruby orbs before fluttering them open again. "Am I not a princess father dear?" She said in a syrupy voice, not unlike what her sisters would do when they would ask for something, she even included the pouty eyelash flutter. "Why of course you are," The king said relieved. He had been weathering himself for a violent downpour of tears which was the way all his other daughters reacted to his reprimands. "Well… I fence." Elesis stated in an all-knowing tone, "So it is done by a princess." She stated smugly.

"That doesn't make it proper conduct," Her mother chimed in with a firm but gentle tone. Elesis gaped incredulously at her. "Why not?" The crimsonette enquired dubiously.

"It simply doesn't."

That marked the death of Elesis's fencing lessons.

More incidents, not un-similar to the fencing mishap occurred in a rapid fire sequence shortly thereafter. When she was almost fourteen (Just another week) her father discovered she had been accosting the court magician-Noah- and forcing the poor woman to give her basic magic lessons.

"How long have you been pulling these shenanigans?" He enquired in a world-weary voice when Elesis arrived in the throne room in response to his summons. Elesis sighed and blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Since you made me stop fencing… suppose you're going to say 'tis not proper for a princess." She mumbled sullenly and crossed her arms. Her father nodded and stroked the rusty-reddish brown stubble on his chin. "Well yes… 'Tis not proper for a princess." Elesis huffed indignantly. "Nothing that's interesting seems to be proper." She scoffed acrimoniously. Her mother sighed, "You would find things more interesting if you applied yourself dear." She said sagely.

"Bull shit…" Elesis muttered under her breath petulantly, but she knew better than to protest when her mother used that tone.

R.I.P. Magic lessons and Noah's career.

The same thing happened over the philosophy lessons from the court philosopher, the cooking lessons from the court chef, the Latin lessons from the librarian, and the martial art lessons from the court Zen master, the tumbling lessons from the court troubadour, and the biological lessons from the court physician. Each person that fell victim to Elesis' bullying promptly lost their jobs as a result of their caving in.

When she was nineteen, Elesis decided to go ahead and have a nice little chat with the one person she had not gotten fired yet-the court fortune teller.

"Will you help me out here?" Elesis enquired sullenly as she squirmed restlessly in the fat velvet pouf across from the small circular table that the glittery gauze-wrapped psychic was swaddled in. "Why are you contacting me mi'lady? After all, you interrupted my tea, this better be a manner concerning the utmost happiness of your future." The fortune teller enquired in a somewhat snippy tone as she peered at Elesis through her jewel-encrusted glasses.

Elesis grimaced and in a dry voice retorted, "It is a manner of my utmost happiness." The fortune teller hummed pensively and brought out a rather battered pack of tarot cards. "Oh dear, you are a bit young at nineteen but you are quite a tenacious and hotheaded child. Very well… do you have a sample of him?" She probed in a misty voice. Elesis cocked an incredulous eyebrow at her and stared at the psychic like she was nuts.

"What the fuck do you mean by 'a sample of him'? That sounds so dirty in so many ways." Elesis snapped back sardonically. The fortune teller pursed her lips into a cantankerous line. "Language my dear princess… such vulgarity is not becoming to a young lady such as you."

Elesis snorted and shook her head furiously. "It's not a him." She retorted acidly. The fortune teller's eyes widened into cantaloupes. "Then it's a her? Oh my El are you a lesbian?!" She gasped sounding scandalized. The crimsonette's jaw dropped. "What the fucking El? No! I'm not in love with anyone!" She yelped. "Then what do you need me to figure out?!" The fortune teller hollered hysterically and flipped the table, thoroughly annoyed at the cryptic questions the princess was asking.

Throwing herself out of the way, Elesis replied, "I need you to figure out if I'm ever going to catch a break!" The psychic gawked at her. "A break from what?" She asked, not quite comprehending. Pushing herself off the floor, Elesis dusted off her crimson skirt and held her hands out motioning at the resplendent walls of the castle. "This! The embroidery and dancing and etiquette!" She exclaimed and stamped her foot in frustration.

The fortune teller looked appalled. "Why my dear! That's your heritage!" Elesis huffed and shook her head. "It's so stupid and boring." She said tartly. Seeing the fortune teller's prying gaze she continued explaining her predicament.

"It's stupid how everyone insists that I act like a girl. Hell, I'd be willing to act like a girl if acting like a girl wasn't so damn retarded. I don't want to sit around listening to the minstrel make up songs about how brave father is and how fair his wife and daughters are and how noble his son is. I mean seriously? Elsword gets to do all the cool stuff and he is younger than me! It's not fair!" The crimsonette ranted vehemently and stomped her foot repeatedly against the plum-carpeted floor in frustration. The psychic laughed airily as if what Elesis was saying was just mere crazy talk.

"Nonsense my dear… You'll grow out of it, and when you do, you can look back and be glad you didn't do anything rash." She told the princess in a placating tone. Elesis narrowed her eyes and contemplated the psychic apprehensively. "You've been talking to my parents haven't you?" She enquired warily. The fortune teller nodded and adjusted the glittery bandanna that hid her mousy-brown hair. "Indeed I have, I don't want to lose my job and be replaced by some cookie cutter fraud." Elesis just gave the fortune teller a wrathful stare. "And you're not?" She spat icily. With a miffed expression the psychic opened her mouth to retort. "Well I-"

Elesis abruptly cut her off. "Fuck all of you, everyone here is either a wimpy sell-out, a squealing pig, or a sexist prick." With those spiteful words, Elesis flipped the bird at the fortune teller and stalked out of the psychic's room with her head held high with an affronted expression on her face.


	2. That Makes Her (Not) Happy

**Your Typical (Not) Fairy Tale**

**This Makes Her (Not) Happy**

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Elesis moved through the darkening hall, taking great care to keep to one side, out of sight by any casual passerby in the kitchen who would spot her and making a hundred inquiries as to who she was and what she was doing here, and annoy her. The great table that ran the length of the hall was laid already, the adroitly crafted utensils catching the scant amount of light that existed in the room, and the chairs were pulled out already for the guests. Portraits of great kings and ambassadors hung high up in the dismal shadows along the walls. Elesis reached the dais and hastily shot a glance backwards to make sure there was nobody in the kitchen. Seeing it was all clear, she stepped up beside the table.

"Oh... it's fancy… must be some bigwig who's attending." Elesis murmured softly to herself. The silverware was gold and the plates were porcelain with intricately spiraling edges of gold, and the seats were rosewood with plush velvet cushions. The crimsonette stopped beside a random person's chair near the head of the table and flicked the crystal goblet with a fingernail; a single piercing note rang keenly through the air.

"I still can't believe they did that…" She muttered virulently to herself. "They" would happen to be her parents and "that" would happen to be the very minor fact that they engaged her to Raven-crown prince of Velderia without even thinking to inform her about it.

**xX-Xx**

It was a few weeks after the incident with the court fortune-teller, that Elesis's parents took her to Velderia, the kingdom smack next to Velder with only a thin forest separating the two. It had originally been a part of the Velderian Empire, however it was too large for the emperor to control and had been split into a different kingdom with close ties to Velder. Elesis was quite certain that her parents only took her over there because that old hag had told them that something better be done about her, and soon. The crimsonette didn't voice this particular opinion, any excuse to get out of the house and away from the endless rounds of protocol, and embroider, and dancing at home.

Elesis only realized her mistake when she had arrived at Velderia, for the King of Velderia had a son and he was exceptionally handsome. With an angled face, vivid amber eyes, glossy night-black hair, and a tanned complexion, he made all the ladies of the court swoon… save for Elesis. To top things off, his sole duty seemed only to be to attend to Elesis which drew an immense amount of abhorrence from her.

"Isn't he _hot_?" Elesis's lady-in-waiting sighed wistfully as she fitted a particularly frilly pink dress onto Elesis who was trying hard no to vomit. She _detested _pink with a passion. "Yeah," Elesis replied dryly with the enthusiasm of a dead fish. "Unfortunately he's not much of anything else."

"Whatever do you mean?" The lady-in-waiting gasped sounding flabbergasted and accidentally stabbing Elesis with a pin, causing the crimsonette to yelp and jump up into the air. "S-sorry…" The lady-in-waiting apologized meekly and bowed her head down so only her dirty-blonde mop was visible. Elesis rolled her eyes, "It's fine. Yet the Prince is boring. He has no sense of humor, he's sexist, he can't say more than five words strung together and it's _always _bragging about his skills in swordplay or some smoking hot idol who he has a crush on. I'm delighted we're only staying two weeks… I'd go insane if it was any longer than that."

The lady-in-waiting look dismayed, with wide baby blue eyes she gaped incredulously at the princess. "What about your engagement?" Elesis's jaw dropped. "Wait… what engagement?" She enquired, sounding just as shocked and a little bit revolted. The lady-in-waiting tried to mutter that it was nothing, but Elesis held her head high and in her best princess fashion, necessitated an answer from her. Finally, the lady-in-waiting fell apart.

"Huuaah… I-I overheard… huah… Their Majesties discussing the terms and whatnot yesterday." She released a great sob into her handkerchief and blew her nose like an elephant. "The stipulations, contracts, covenants, and settlements have all been drawn up and they're going to sign them the day after tomorrow and announce it on F-Friday." The lady-in-waiting blew her nose again causing Elesis to cringe. _What a dreadful sound_.

"I see how it is." Elesis scowled fervidly. "Thank you for telling me. You may go."

The lady-in-waiting left and the princess changed out of that El awful dress back into her cerise and white one she was comfortable in, and stormed off to find her parents.

Needless to say they were peeved and a little abashed when Elesis found out. "We were going to tell you tomorrow when the papers were signed dear." Her father said sounding somewhat sheepish.

Elesis stared.

"We knew you would be delighted… he's such a good-looking boy." Her mother said, nodding approvingly at her husband's words.

Elesis's jaw dropped. "But I don't want to be married to Prince Raven." She protested disbelievingly. Why were her parents doing this to her? Was it the fact she stuck gum in her protocol teacher's book or was it because she flipped off the court fortune-teller?

"Well… it's not a match made in heaven, but we didn't think you'd care how big the kingdom was." Her dad added with a pensive frown on his face. Elesis groaned and shook her head. "It's the prince I don't care for." Elesis retorted acridly. Elesis's mother sighed and cupper her cheek with her hand. "Ah, that's a pity dear, but I'm afraid it's likely that you won't get any other marriage offers."

The crimsonette deadpanned and crossed her arms, prepared to give a firm statement that left no room for protest. "Then I won't get married at all." Both parents looked revolted at such a notion.

"Elesis!" Exclaimed her father, "That is simply out of the question. You are a princess; it simply isn't done!" Elesis huffed indignantly and shook her head fervently. "I'm only nineteen! I'm too young to get married!" She yelped sounding repulsed.

"Your Great Auntie Rose-"

"Mom… she was a hundred and sixteen…" Elesis snarled acidly and narrowed her eyes. Her mother pursed her lips into an exasperated line. "You're really going to count those hundred years she spent asleep?"

Elesis clenched her teeth and stiffened her posture, determined to fight this battle to the very end. "I won't marry the prince of Velderia!" She said desperately. "It isn't proper!"

Both her parents gawked doubtingly at her. "Whatever do you mean?" Her father enquired, not quite comprehending. "He hasn't saved me from a demon or reversed a curse, or been on some grand quest to find me." Elesis pointed out passionately. Both of her parents looked a bit disconcerted. "Ah… it's a bit late but I suppose we can manage something…" Her father trailed and stroked at the rusty stubble covering his chin.

"I don't think it's necessary." Elesis's mother snipped reprovingly and gave her daughter a reproachful look. "You never bothered with protocol before, so why should you ever start now? Proper or not… you will marry Raven of Velderia two weeks from Friday."

"Really mom?"

"I will have the tailor make you your bridal gown and give them to the wardrobe mistress so you can start trying it on." Elesis's mother stated resolutely and that was the end of that conversation.

**xX-Xx**

Elesis decided to try a more direct approach next. She went to see Raven herself. He was lounging in his bedroom and Elesis entered, not even bothering to knock because that would give acknowledge him as worthy of respect in Elesis's eyes and the crimsonette was not feeling particularly partial to him.

She regretted it, for the prince's bedroom had a couple of posters of a sexy blonde woman whose outfit left very little to the imagination, and sticking out like a sore thumb among the crisp stygian black bed sheets was a full body pillow with said woman plastered on it. Elesis didn't even try to stop her nose from crinkling upwards.

"I like the idol. Problem?" Raven enquired in his usual dry tone that Elesis had grown all too accustomed with. "Er…no…of course not…" She trailed and tried hard to wipe the disgusted expression off her face. "Just wondering about that pillow…" She added with a grimace. Raven snorted and flopped down on the austere black chair that was pushed up against the corner of his room.

"Then what?"

It took Elesis a couple of minutes to realize he was asking what she wanted to talk to him about. "Uh… about that… er… engagement?" Raven nodded and lolled his eyes. "That." The crimsonette gave the body pillow another look and struggled valiantly to keep her poker face. "You really don't want to marry me, do you? 'Cause first thing I'm going to do is make you get rid of that sex pillow." Raven gave the crimsonette an icy frown.

"One, it's not a sex pillow. Two, I have to."

Elesis snorted. "Yeah… because a body pillow with a sexy lady with whipped cream on her presents doesn't classify as something inappropriate for kids at all." Elesis mumbled dourly under her breath, not wanting to offend Raven. Unfortunately, he did and he was none too pleased about Elesis making a crack at his favorite pillow.

"Get out." Raven snapped irately and pointed towards the door. Elesis glared defiantly at him. "Make me." She spat spitefully. The prince's eyebrows came crashing down above his golden orbs and he stood up, for a brief moment Elesis though he would've hit her with his robotic arm (The only cool thing about him) and she would've gladly welcomed it.

Instead… he threw the body pillow at him.

It worked like a charm.

"Gross! I don't know how many times you came on it!" Elesis cried as she ran out the room, narrowly dodging the pillow as it hurled her way. When she exited the prince's bedroom, she slumped against the wall. It looked like she would have to marry the prince of Velderia whether she wanted to or not.

In a rather churlish mood, she stormed out to the castle gardens and slammed herself down on a wooden swinging bench overlooking the glassy surfaced pond which was neatly trimmed with emerald bushes dotted with fragrant roses. "Why can't anything fun happen to me?" She mumbled tersely and drew her knees close to her.

"You want some excitement?" An unfamiliar voice mused next to her. Startled, Elesis looked in the direction where the voice was coming from and there was a corpulent bat with a vivid eggplant underbelly, a snowy-white head, and gleaming eyes of sulfuric yellow. It looked like a demon and under normal circumstances, Elesis would've abducted it and attempted to use it as a soccer ball, however these were hardly normal circumstances. Anything a demon would say had to be better than the fact she was getting married to a perverted prince.

"Yeah…" Elesis said sullenly and laid her head on her kneecaps. The bat contemplated her thoughtfully before speaking. "Ah, then I can give you plenty." The crimsonette perked up, now interested. "How?" She queried eagerly. The bat smirked and looked back at the castle. "Go to the great hall ten minutes before six, something interesting should happen. Once that is done, come back here and I'll give you further instruction. Oh, and make sure you don't get caught by the wrong people 'cause that would blow the whole thing, k? If you should encounter a man who goes by the last name 'Qin' play dumb but try to squeeze all the information you can out of him without making him suspicious. Adieu"

With those words the bat disappeared in a puff of heliotrope-hued smoke that carried the pungent odor of lavender. The princess didn't quite get as to how those peculiar instructions would alleviate her horrible life but it surely couldn't hurt to try.

"Sounds easy enough." She muttered and allowed a thin smile to cross her face. "This better be good." Elesis said as she stood up and faced the castle, this time with a reinvigorated spirit.

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**You know… I said I wouldn't do AN's for this one… but then how am I supposed to answer my guests, troll the readers, and reply to the reviews I forgot to respond via P.M.? *Shot* Not much to say… so here are the reviewer replies to those I didn't answer via P.M. or were guests! :3 Thanks for the eight reviews though! That makes me so happy! I didn't think it would be that popular! OAO**

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**Guest- It going to be a kind of mash-up, so if you're worried... I promise you it won't be boring :3 no need to worry about being harsh over such a trivial question :D**

**Elesia- Thanks :D Here is more Elesis! ;D I appreciate your support!**

**Konjiki No Yami- OAO *Drops dead from happiness* Thank you! :,D *Cries happy tears and glomps you* That means a lot coming from a super-talented authoress like yourself! :,DD **


	3. Things Are (Not) Cleared Up

**Your Typical (Not) Fairy Tale**

**Things Are (Not) Cleared Up**

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Sighing, Elesis threw a surreptitious glance over her shoulder making sure nobody had entered and caught her unawares. With an expression of indifference, she leisurely walked down the length of the table occasionally stopping to flick a random glass and listen to the solitary pure note that resonated unwaveringly in the room. With an indolent smile, the crimsonette promenaded over to the large squashy emerald leather armchair propped next to the door and plopped down on it. The portraits of the former kings glowered down censoriously at her impertinence and with a nod of her head Elesis rolled her eyes at them.

"Hue… so what am I actually supposed to do now that I am here?" Elesis wondered aloud. "What would happen if that Qin person showed up with a whole mob of other people?" She pondered worriedly. Taking a deep breath, her eyelids fluttered shut as she prepared to deliberate the answer to the question. Instantly, she was cut off as she heard voices outside and much to her consternation they seemed to be drawing closer to the door.

"Shit!" She hissed and shot several rapid-fire glances around the room, looking for a place to hide. "The chair!" She exclaimed and threw herself behind the armchair just as the door swung open and a rather serious looking man with dark grey eyes and chestnut-colored colored hair walked into the room. His hair was slicked back and he was wearing the distinctive suit of the Velderian Castle servant, Elesis recognized him instantly- the chamberlain. He had accompanied the Royal Family to Velderia and was in charge of managing all the household servants. Elesis did not care for him. The chamberlain on numerous occasions had castigated her for her recalcitrant behavior which in turn got her in trouble with her parents.

"Do you have the decanter of Tokay?" A second male enquired as he entered the room. Elesis shifted around disconcertedly, all it would take was for one of them to look at the chair the wrong way…

The second male was a young man in his early twenties with spiky blonde hair and intense eyes that were a smooth gradient of aquamarine with a soft royal blue paw print pattern visible in them. He was wearing a silk navy suit that was abstractedly western but it had an eastern flair to it. Elesis instantly recognized the distinctive style as belonging to Hamel- the city that functioned as a cross road between the western content of Rurensia and the eastern content of Fluonne.

"Yes I do sir, the 1900 as you asked." The chamberlain replied formally and held up a sparkling crystal bottle with the lemon-gold liquor sloshing around in it. "Ah thank you, Lord Qin is quite partial to that." The blonde replied and gave the chamberlain a bright smile. The smile was innocent enough but there was a dangerous glint to those shatter-glass blue eyes that made Elesis shiver.

"It was my pleasure young sir." The chamberlain replied stiffly and held up a placed the Tokay on the table. The blonde nodded and dipped into a brief bow. "Thank you once again, you may leave now." The chamberlain nodded and with one final bow, left the room.

Once the chamberlain was gone, the blonde withdrew a small packet of paper from his pocket and slit open the top. Shooting a quick glance over his shoulder, he dumped the contents into the decanter and grabbed a spoon from the table, sticking the handle in the neck of the decanter and swirling the contents around before drying it off and placing the spoon back. Elesis sharply drew in her breath.

_Oh my El! Did he just poison the drink?! Woah! _

With narrowed eyes, the blonde scanned the room and left.

Clasping her hands over her mouth, Elesis watched the door close with wide eyes. "Shit!" She swore vehemently under her breath and shot an anxious glance at the decanter of Tokay.

_I really should just lay low… but I can't ignore the fact that someone is about to get murdered! Plus it's immoral to just stand by and watch as this person gets poisoned. Another thing is that…_

A soft gasp escaped Elesis's lips as the full realization of the situation struck her.

_That's Qin being poisoned! That weird bat told to me to ask questions if I saw that guy!_

The crimsonette was half-standing and fully prepared to knock the decanter off the table until the door opened, forcing Elesis to duck behind the armchair for cover.

A tall man with dark brown eyes and a dignified air came strolling into the room. His dark sable hair was done into a formal eastern style and he had on his chin an immaculately trimmed goatee. Elesis shuddered. This man radiated had such a powerful and dangerous aura.

"Finally some peace and quiet." His deep voice resonated through the room and with an air of relaxed confidence he picked up the decanter of Tokay.

"No!" Elesis whispered before she could stop herself. The man stiffened and narrowed his eyes, glowering at the chair. "Who goes there?" He demanded and took a menacing step closer. The crimsonette pursed her lips into a thin line and stood up from her spot behind the chair.

"You! Who are you?" The man demanded and crossed his arms, his eyes flashing dangerously. Elesis gulped and stood petrified for a minute before remembering her manners and doing a hasty curtsy.

"I do apologize. I am Elesis Sieghart- the fourth child of the Royal Family of Velder. May I be so bold as to ask for your name sir?" Elesis enquired, struggling to keep her voice level. The man nodded curtly before setting the decanter back on the table.

"I am Tamerlin Qin, the current emperor of Fahrmann." He replied and stroked his goatee. Elesis's eyes grew wide. If she remembered correctly, the current ruling family of Fahrmann were the Haans… so why was this man saying he was the emperor?

"Now I may ask you a question young miss." Qin boomed, shattering Elesis's thought process. The crimsonette hurriedly nodded. "Of course."

"Why did you react so when I picked up the Tokay?" Qin enquired and stared dubiously at the crimsonette. Elesis took in a deep breath, the words of the demonic bat hovering in the back of her mind.

_Act dumb and try to squeeze all that you can out of him_.

"Ah, I was just admiring the tableware in the room! The craftsmanship is exquisite!" Elesis explained in a girlish tone so unlike her. The man snorted testily and rolled his eyes. Elesis could practically see his thought train, "_Typical airheaded princess_". It took her a great deal of will to not burst out what she saw straightaway.

_Act dumb…_

Elesis lived with her sisters, so she never thought it was this arduous to act like a pampered, self-serving, vapid twit.

_How do they live with themselves? _Elesis thought as she plunged into her next sentence.

"Yes, so I was admiring the tableware when I heard the door open. Not wanting to get scolded (please don't inform my parents about this good sir) I hid behind the chair and two men entered, a blonde male with blue eyes and the chamberlain. Then…" Elesis trailed and bit her bottom lip.

"Then…?" Qin pressed. Elesis frowned briefly before shaking her head like she saw her sisters often do when something they couldn't believe had occurred.

"Then as soon as the chamberlain left, the blonde poisoned the Tokay!" Elesis gasped in a histrionic gesture just like her sisters and clapped her hands over her heart. Qin's eyes grew wide before his eyebrows came crashing right above his eyelids and he let out a soft hiss.

"I should've known… Thank you Miss. You may leave now." He said motioning towards the door. Elesis tensed up, not wanting to leave as she had a question. "Don't worry. I will not tell your parents." He said with a hearty little laugh.

Elesis nodded and turned towards the door. "Oh sir?" She inquired softly. Qin tilted his head to the side and looked guardedly at the crimsonette. "Yes Miss?" He replied. Elesis bit her bottom lip and gathered the cerise satin of her skirt into her fists.

"When I last heard about Fahrmann politics, the ruling family of the empire were the Haans, am I not correct? So what happened?" Elesis probed carefully and threw a nervous look over her shoulder.

Qin pressed his lips into a thin line and slowly nodded his head. "They were but…"

"But?" Elesis pushed and then bit her bottom lip again. Qin snorted, his nostrils flaring out and he scrutinized the crimsonette with renewed suspicion. "My, aren't you a nosy little princess?" He said with a bitter smile. Elesis swallowed hard, pushing down the lump of cotton that had nestled in her throat.

"I don't mean to intrude sir. I was just confused and hoping you could clear it up for me." She retorted, struggling to keep her voice in "ditz mode" as she dubbed it. Qin sighed but much to Elesis's immense relief, relaxed perceptibly.

"Ah… I do apologize if I came off as harsh Miss. I didn't want to upset you. You see… what happened to the Haan family is a tragic tale." He said his voice heavy with grief. Elesis's eyes widened to the size of watermelons. "What happened?" She queried breathlessly. Qin shook his head slowly and buried his face in his hands.

"The Haans were picked off one by one in a series of gruesome incidents. The father was killed during a tragic hunting incident leaving just the wife and two kids. That was a grievous blow, but it only got worse when at a banquet the mother and five hundred other people- close friends of the Haans, advisors, and other nobles were poisoned. The two kids thankfully were spared because they were too young to attend. It was terrible for both of them but at least they had each other… however…"

The ominous sentence trailed into silence as Qin's face twisted with unimaginable grief.

"However…?" Elesis breathed, her face as pallid as bleached linen.

"…The younger sister died in a freak accident and about a month later… The older brother was poisoned. With the main bloodline dead, it was my duty as the blood brother of Yang- the father to manage the empire." Qin sighed and rubbed his forehead profusely.

"It's been a pain in the butt." He added with a dour smile on his face. Feeling numb, Elesis nodded wordlessly and walked to the door. "I shall leave now." She whispered emotionlessly and left the room.

* * *

"There you are Elesis! We've been looking all over for you!" Her older sister- Apple cried and waved animatedly at the crimsonette. Elesis stopped and glowered at the pink-clad form of her older sister, "What?" She snapped acerbically. "Well!" Apple huffed indignantly and flipped her silken roseate locks, the opulent golden bangles on her arm catching the light from the chandelier and glittering blindingly as she did so. "What do you want?" Elesis scowled cantankerously. Apple stuck her nose up in the air with affronted dignity and looked down on her younger sister.

"We need you for the banquet… Mother and Father are frantic. Why standing up your future husband is quite uncouth!" Apple snipped primly. Elesis stuck her tongue out juvenilely at her elder sister. "I am not attending the banquet." She stated firmly and narrowed her eyes. "Why you-" Apple gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth.

Elesis ignored her and resumed walking. "Stop!" Apple demanded but it was futile. Elesis kept walking, deliberately disregarding the rosenette's command. "Oh… and another thing… He will be my future husband over my dead body!" Elesis called out to Apple over her shoulder. Flabbergasted, all Apple could do was watch as her younger sister walked in the opposite direction from where she was supposed to be walking.

* * *

"Ah… you're back." The bat drawled and hovered closer to Elesis as she stormed into the garden looking rather chafed. "How did it-" His question was interrupted as the crimsonette lifted her leg, punting the bat into the lake.

"You jerk!" Elesis screamed as she slammed herself down on the wooden swinging bench, crossing her limbs and glaring acrimoniously at the bat as he flopped back on to land, his rotund frame writhing around like a stranded fish. "What was that for?" The bat yelped as he lifted himself back into the air, his violet wings spraying little droplets of water all over the place.

"You didn't mention anything about poisoning or mass murder!" The crimsonette snarled and threw her fist out in front of her, attempting to punch the bat. Leaning to the left, the bat narrowly avoided the stunning blow and he frowned reproachfully at Elesis. "You said you wanted excitement, no?" He enquired rhetorically. Elesis blew her bangs out of her eyes and leaned back in the bench. "I didn't want to get involved in this mayhem." She muttered sourly and threw a churlish glance to her left.

"Beggars can't be choosers." The bat sang sardonically and sneered. Elesis narrowed her eyes, lobbing mental daggers at the bat.

"What can I do about that sort of crap? Better yet… who are you and how did you know that stuff was going to happen?" Elesis catechized and tilted her head to the side, studying the bat with a circumspect expression. The bat smirked and fluttered closer to Elesis.

"You can call me Angkor… as for how I know this stuff. It's a secret, but you my dear have a very important role to play." He chortled lowly and stared straight into the crimsonette's ruby eyes, his own sulfuric orbs gleaming fiercely. Elesis cocked a dubious eyebrow at Angkor, "What do you mean by 'I have a very important role to play'?" She asked tetchily. Angkor closed his eyes before opening them again.

"I can't say for you will never unveil the truth if I spoon feed you everything. I will say though that you are about to alter the destiny of Elrios dramatically."

"Say what?" Elesis gaped and shook her head, disbelievingly.

Angkor rolled his eyes and dipped closer to the ground. Perplexed, Elesis's gaze followed him. "How would you like to take a little trip to Altera?" He enquired wryly. The crimsonette crinkled her brow, "Isn't that place a moral cesspit since Queen Eve was ousted by her son-Ignotum?" She asked not quite comprehending the direction this conversation was heading.

Angkor snorted and rolled his eyes. "It's where are all the pandemonium is going to occur. You really don't want to stay here and marry the prince do you?" He declamatorily inquired. Elesis groaned and hung her head in defeat, "Ok fatty… you win. Where do I go to leave?" She grumbled sullenly. Angkor smiled wildly and whipped his wings frenetically, darting around Elesis's head at a dizzying speed. "Follow me!" He chirruped and rocketed away from the crimsonette.

"Hey!" She cried and leapt off the bench, making it swing uncontrollably and flew after Angkor at lightning speed.

Past the winding hedge and over the stone bridge arching over the crystal-clear pond, Elesis pursued Angkor darting left and right to keep up with him as he made several sharp turns, rustling the emerald leaves and scattering the petals of the flowers he accidentally whacked. The wind rushed by Elesis's face, streaming her thick claret hair behind her and stinging her eyes, drying them out as she ran.

Eventually, Angkor ceased his flying and Elesis came stumbling to a halt. In front of the two was the old well that was never visited anymore since the new one was built. It stood, solemn and sad amongst the verdant foliage, the grey stone moss covered and botched with water stains. "Here we are." Angkor announced pompously and spread his wings out, beholding the decrepit well.

"Is this a joke?" Elesis enquired dryly as she stared at it. Angkor stared at her, his eyes wide. "What do you mean?" Elesis groaned and deadpanned. "How is this old well going to get me to Altera?" She hissed and jabbed her finger ardently towards the well. Angkor gawped at the crimsonette like she was stupid.

"It has magic powers." He replied seriously. Elesis bared her teeth into a vehement scowl, "Don't fuck with me fatty." She spat, the white spittle flying out of her mouth and landing on Angkor. "How rude! I am very serious! Why do you think a new well was built? The idiotic nobles kept falling into it and finding themselves in weird places. One person even found himself stuck in a toilet… in the girls' bathroom."

"Was it Raven?" Elesis asked with a mordant smile on her face. Angkor whistled softly, thoroughly impressed. "How did you know?" He inquired curiously. Elesis chuckled softly and shook her head. "Because he's a pervert." She responded sardonically. "He was a kid back then… more innocent, but you know… he never was the same after that." Angkor mused thoughtfully. Elesis shrugged carelessly and directed another glance at the well.

"So why does this well have magic powers?" She nosed interestedly and walked over to it, lightly drumming her fingers against the cool somewhat moist stone. Angkor gave Elesis a smug smirk and rolled over in mid-air. "It was hewn from a rock that rested on a sacred site were the Great El Crystal originally stood." He explained superiorly. Elesis frowned and threw another mental dagger at Angkor. "You don't have to use that tone on me you ass." She muttered under her breath.

Angkor ignored her and rolled back on his belly. "To go somewhere, you just have to jump into it and clearly state in your mind where you want to go." He explained and fluttered around restlessly. Elesis nodded restively and swung one leg over the edge. "Thanks fatty…" She smirked, "What do I do after this?" She added, a thoughtful expression appearing on her features. Angkor hesitated for a brief second before answering.

"You'll meet someone and everything else should fall into place." He said sagely and gave Elesis a cheery little wave of his wing. Elesis snorted and opened her mouth to press Angkor further, "Who is-"

"Adieu." Angkor interjected and disappeared in a puff of heliotrope colored-smoke.

"That figures…" Elesis sighed and swung the other leg over the edge of the well, with a push from her hand, Elesis sent herself plummeting down below.

_Take me to Altera!_

* * *

"Angkor! Where were you?!" A young woman with lavender hair fastened into spiky pigtails by two violet bows and wide but clever amethyst eyes demanded as the bat appeared in the room in a cloud of smoke. She was wearing short black shorts and an oversized violet sweater made of chenille, making her appear even slimmer than she really was. Angkor sighed and fluttered closer to the purplenette, a smug expression scrawled over his features. "I was busy with what you asked me to do Aisha." He replied dryly and flew over to the black leather couch, nestling himself on a mauve pillow with black chintz trimming.

"You actually did what I asked?" Aisha gasped disbelievingly, placing a hand over her chest in amazement as her eyes grew wide. Angkor yawned indolently and stretched his wings up. "How could I ignore an order from the all-powerful Black Witch?" He drawled. Aisha snorted and picked up a thick leather tome from the floor before chucking at Angkor. "Don't you dare get snarky with me." She hissed, her eyes narrow and fierce. Angkor muttered an incomprehensible phrase as he rubbed his head where Aisha had nailed him.

"That was really unnecessary, but yes… I did complete what you asked me." He replied broodingly. Aisha nodded her head approvingly, walking over to where Angkor was perched and sitting down next to him. "How was she?" She asked keenly. Angkor grimaced and slowly shook his head. "She's very rough around the edges. I quite frankly believe there is no way that she is the successor of Vermillion. I practically had to tell her how to do everything. She's extremely obtuse and does not have the natural instinct a successor should have."

Aisha drew in a deep breath before slowly exhaling. "Like you said Angkor, she's a little rough around the edges." She said with a faint smirk and leaned back in the couch.

* * *

**That concludes CH3 of YT(N)FT! I almost didn't get it updated today... All the FF servers had crashed Q.Q MERRY CHRISTMAS! Guess what I got for Christmas? A bathrobe! XD But at least it was soft and fluffy... before I reflect on my chapter and do reviewer replies, I must tell the readers of Elemental Aria that I'm seriously considering rewriting, remaking, and redoing the entire plot... It is a mess and I honestly believe I can do so much better... I will post up the other version of EA and it shall be called "Exec Flip Arphage" and I'll let the readers decide which RS x EM song magic fic they liked best, but I was just thinking this over and I really do believe EA has a brilliant premise but sloppy execution... But on to the other stuff! Yes… I know humor was lacking here, but it would be a little inappropriate in light of all the things that had just occurred. At least you get the knowledge Raven was once stuck in a toilet… Aisha and Angkor have appeared on the stage! Successor of Vermillion? Black Witch? What in all El does that mean? Eh… it's not important… what matters is that **_**someone**_** is going to be appearing next chapter! Oh… and I have written a decent-length chappie for this story! :3 All we know is that a plot has finally appeared! Here are the reviewer replies! :3**

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**HikaNoHana- Thanks, I'm glad you liked the silent pervert Raven XD Elesis is far from normal... very far from normal... Elesis doesn't make things happen, excitement just flocks to her like vultures to a carcass... ok... I probably should've used a less morbid comparison... but thanks once again :D**

**Hai Dhere- Thanks! :D I'm glad you find it funny... it gives me a boost in confidence, I often worry my humor is fail...**

**Rosamanelle- No... Qin is Aren's uncle... *Whispers* Mufasa... *Shot* Disappointed in Raven eh? Give the poor kid a break! His encounter in the toilet brain-damaged him! XD And here is the interesting thing! :D As for Angkor... he doesn't want Elesis's soul... What he and Aisha is doing will remain a mystery... O3O**

**Sugarlatte- I'm glad you found it interesting! Classes are Elesis- GM, Raven- Blade Master, Elsword- Lord Knight, Aisha- Void Princess and I will not say anything else lest it be spoilery O3O**

**Konjiki No Yami- Dem lies Yami... Dem lies... You ARE TALENTED! You do not get 2 stories in the top 10 without some serious talent! OAO I'm very happy that you like this story :D It makes me feel so very happy :,D *Touched* **


	4. That Should (Not) of Happened

**Your Typical (Not) Fairy Tale**

**That Should (Not) of Happened**

* * *

Into darkness Elesis plunged, around her the crimsonette could see dizzying flashes of color and muffled bursts of sound, but they were equivocal and indistinct. The wind's roar was deafening as Elesis hurtled deeper and deeper into the darkness. With a petulant sigh, Elesis whipped her gaze around and tried to get a picture of the environ surrounding her.

_How far am I going to fall? I better see some prehistoric creatures… BECAUSE I'M LITERALLY GOING TO THE CENTER OF ELRIOS RIGHT NOW!_

Even as she was thinking it, a milky nebula of white light came into view and upon seeing it she allowed a smile to cross her face. _About time too! It was getting ridiculous! _As Elesis fell into the nebula, she was enveloped in a vertiginous swirl of sights, of lands familiar and alien to her.

_A bitter wind blew across a pallid landscape as a glistening iceberg broke off from the ice wall and drifted away in the storm-grey waters… _

_Two children with ebon tresses, wearing traditional Oriental clothing played merrily with each other amongst the citron trees and the jessamine flowers… _

_The world… it was burning… enveloped in a hellish haze… a stygian black mountain of charred earth threw up a fiery pillar of lava that rained down to the world below, setting everything ablaze…_

With wide eyes, Elesis tried to take everything in but it was too much too fast. The sheer variability of the myriad milieus made her head spin and her eyes water. With a stunning flash of pain to the base of her skull, she blacked out and fell soundlessly through the depthless abyss that greeted her.

The first thing that greeted her as she came to was the solid sensation of earth underneath her. The second thing was the earthy odor of well… earth… The third thing was the agonized throbbing of her brain that told her she had just fallen flat on her head. With a muffled moan, she cracked her eyes open and lifted her head off the ground, taking in her surroundings.

_I'm going to murder that fucking bat!_

For the dear princess was stuck in a well… with no crevices in the musty, algae-covered wall and they were at least twenty feet high, trapping her in a small circle. With an acerbic scowl, Elesis craned her neck up and she saw a circle of eggshell blue sky hovering above her, the puffy clouds languidly floating in and out of her field of view.

"HEEEELLLLOOOO! IS ANYONE THERE?!"

* * *

The emerald blades of grass rippled like the surface of the ocean as a gentle breeze wafted through the area. It was a tranquil little patch of greenery in the metropolitan Altera, where the achromatic greys and silvers of concrete and stainless steel were ubiquitous. People, looking for a refuge from the pandemonium of city life would often gather here among the tiger lilies and hydrangeas of the park's garden as they socialized, did pot, or whatever crazy people did these days.

Such was the case for a pair of obsidian-haired siblings. Aren- the older brother was a mild-tempered man with amber eyes and a svelte build. He adhered to a strong set of moral principles but those moral principles seemed to go out the window when it came to protecting his younger sister, Ara. In which case all reason flew out the window and he would resort to punching the man in the face or if he was particularly peeved that day… the sword… which always resulted in the offender running away like a six-year old girl who saw a nest of daddy long legs. Ara on the other hand was a rebellious, carefree woman with an "anything goes" attitude and a quick temper no matter what the situation was. She was a graceful and attractive young woman with long silken tresses and a sweet face that belied her acidic tongue. In Aren's eyes, she was a perfect little angel…

"You know… I think it's a beautiful day…" Aren sighed contentedly as he lounged underneath the shade of an oak tree, watching a frolicking squirrel above him with a detached interest. Ara snorted and adjusted the sable mantle of fur she had slung over her shoulders. "It's boring… Where are Add, Aisha, and Infi?" She whined and shifted around distractedly. Aren pressed his lips into a thin line and shrugged his shoulders. "I think they're at Aisha's house… something about a reality show I believe."

Those words elicited a derisive snort from the ebonette. "Aisha still hasn't given up on becoming a reality star? That's bullshit… she's not going to make it." She scoffed and stood up, stretching her arms as she did so. Aren deadpanned before deliberately shaking his head in disbelief. "That's a horrible thing to say… don't you have any faith in your friends?" He queried and cocked an incredulous eyebrow at Ara who let out a humorless laugh. "I do to a certain extent but I know she's not going to make it. To become a reality star, you need certain… assets… which she does not have." Ara stated in a superior tone and held her nose up in the air. Aren's amber eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What do you mean by 'assets'?"

"Isn't it obvious brother?" Ara drawled and sat back down, "You need an ass and boobs to become a reality star. Aisha has neither." She said in a smug tone, "That's also why she's not a popular stripper… people want their boobs." Aren groaned and face palmed himself. "You put things so bluntly…" He sighed and rolled his eyes. Ara laughed gaily and shook her hand in an airy gesture. "I mean I have gotten laid-"

"What did you say?!" Aren yelped and shot straight up, his posture becoming as stiff as a steel beam. Ara's eyes grew wide and she clamped her hands over her mouth a minute too late. "Well…" She trailed weakly and looked down at the ground, feigning interest in a line of ants that were scurrying past her. "Well…?" Aren probed and crossed his arms, his mouth set into a firm line of disapproval.

"Remember that one time I was out all night?" Ara said in an abashed tone that made Aren realize that he did not like the direction this conversation was taking. "Yes I do…" He responded brusquely. "You said you were at Aisha's house watching the _Princess Bride _and braiding each other's' hair." Ara blazed brightly and fidgeted around with the adroitly crafted gold hairpin she wore constantly in her hair. "I was actually at a party… and I had a couple of drinks… and then I think I might've smoked something… I'm not sure really… It was pretty wild, but yeah…I woke up-"

"I don't want to hear any more!" Aren yelped and threw his arms up in the air.

Remember when it was said that Ara was Aren's perfect little angel?

Well she is…

Most of the time.

"HUUUAAAAH!" A chubby man wearing a clown's outfit came rushing into the grove where Aren and Ara were resting, screaming at the top of his lungs. His hair was a rainbow afro and he was wearing baggy pantaloons in a striped nightmare of garish neon colors. The clown man was also wearing bright red lipstick way outside of the lines and his face was a pale as chalk. To Aren (Who had a morbid fear of clowns, spiders, zombies, and mental asylums) it was his worst nightmare.

"WHAT THE EL?!" Aren screamed and pressed his back flat against the tree. "AAAHH!" The clown man shrieked in return and fell flat on his butt right in front of Ara who was laughing her arse off. "Hah! That was –Hah- random!" Ara choked out and rolled over on her stomach, pounding the ground with tears of laughter streaming down her blotchy red face. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Aren hollered and held a tremulous finger out at the clown man. "Th-the WEEEELLL!" The clown gibbered and rocked back and forth.

"WHAT ABOUT THE WELL?!" Aren yelped, his voice still an octave higher than normal despite his best attempts to get his nerves under control. "It's… it's… it's…" The clown gasped with wide eyes and alternated a horrified look between the two siblings. "Spit it out." Ara demanded and stood up, brushing the dirt off the white front of her stygian black dress. The clown froze up as if he was having a seizure and with jerky, convoluted movements turned his head so he was staring Ara dead in the eye.

"It's haunted…" He whispered. Aren gaped disbelievingly at the clown, now getting over his shock. "Say what?" The clown shuddered and diverted his wide-eyed stare to Aren who balked and pressed himself back up against the tree.

"I was giving a group of kids a performance, trying to make a living after I was thrown into the slammer-"

"Why? Did you ask someone underage to pull a banana out of your pants?" Ara interjected with a smirk. The clown burned a vivid red underneath all fifteen layers of his lurid makeup. "That's a different story…" He muttered under his breath. Aren snorted and shook his head. "Well get on with it…" He snapped, a little more churlishly than he intended. The clown huffed indignantly and stuck his ruby rubber nose up in the air. "I do say! I haven't met someone so rude since-"

"You Bozo… We didn't ask for your life story!" Ara spat and stomped her foot on the ground. The clown's eyes grew wide and he broke out into a teary-eyed grin. "You know my name! Truly you must be talented exorcists indeed!"

"Say what?!" Aren shook his head, not quite understanding what the hell was going on. "The well! So yes! There was this dreadful shouting coming from it… scaring all the kids off as well as me… and-"

"Who ran first? You or the kids?" Ara jeered with a rather vicious smile on her face. "Ara! Don't give Bozo here a reason to prattle on any more than he already has! It's getting rather uncomfortable here!" Aren pleaded hastily and shot a queasy look to his left. Ara sighed and shook her head, "Ok… so get on with it." She snipped and crossed her arms, looking rather put out.

Bozo shrugged and squeezed his nose, causing a noisome _honk! _to split the terse silence that had befallen the small group. "There's not much after that… I ran away screaming and came here." Aren grimaced and shook his head. "Ok… but now I must ask… Why do you think we're exorcists of some sort?" He enquired curiously and crinkled his brow. The clown deadpanned and stared at Aren like he was stupid. "Isn't it obvious? You're obviously from the Eastern lands and you're wearing a white man dress." He pointed at Aren's outfit which was a consisted of a loose white shirt trimmed with mandarin accents resembling an austereand a pair of black baggy pants that were mostly covered by the top.

"Why you! This is the traditional _jeogori _and _baji _worn by men in my home country! The fact that you can so easily stereotype-"

"Can you see ghosts?" Bozo interrupted Aren's vehement rant with a rather dry and exhausted note. Aren snorted but he shook his head begrudgingly. "I could since I was seven…" He murmured softly to himself, looking rather miffed. "Do you have spiritual powers such as energy orbs and that kind of crap?" This time it was Ara who bobbed her head up and down. "Yup!" She exclaimed and raised her hand. Bozo nodded and looked at the two siblings with a patronizing stare. "That's all I wanted to know… Please check out the well." He said and left the grove.

"Man dress indeed…" Aren muttered dourly under his breath and stepped away from the tree. Ara chortled softly and shook her hair. "Eh… whatever… should we check this well out Nii-chan?" She said, using the affectionate term for _brother_. Aren allowed a small smile to cross his face and he nodded his head. "Might as well… it would be wrong if we heard about such a problem and let it be. Spirits, if left alone for long enough can become rather violent." He said in a reasonable tone and brushed his oblique bangs out of his left eye. Ara nodded and giddily ran out of the grove. "Yippee!" She hollered gleefully.

"Hey! Wait up! Ara!" Aren yelped and broke out into a break-neck pace after his younger sister.

* * *

The well was an ancient structure that sat in the middle of the park since Altera's founding back in… the year it was founded. It was a calm and quaint structure that was weathered by the passing years and had fuzzy patches of leaf-green algae growing on it. It had been in the park for so long that people tended to ignore it. Occasionally a passing glance or a fleeting nod would be directed its way, but for the large part, it was overlooked as an uninteresting and sedate piece of insignificant architecture lacking the grandeur of the newer fountains and the lovingly-tended flower bushes.

Now… things were different…

As Aren and Ara approached the well, they could hear an ungodly screaming from it. Who or whatever was in the well was _pissed_. "HELLOOO! I KNOW YOU PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE! CAN YOU GUYS GET ME A FUCKING ROPE SO I CAN GET OUT OF THIS FUCKING WELL?!" A voice screeched and a muted thumping sound could be not so much as heard, but felt coming from the well. "Seems like that is a violent spirit in the well." Ara mused with a smug smirk on her face. Aren sighed and narrowed his eyes in a contemplative expression, mulling over as what to do. "I'll go check it out… stay back Ara…" He said and placed a hand on Ara's shoulder, squeezing it gently. Ara gave Aren a dubious look, but she nodded her head in agreement. "Ok." She stated simply and plopped down cross-legged on the grass.

It should be noted that while clowns terrified Aren, he had no such problems with ghosts, an idea that struck many people as weird. At least you could hit a clown in the head.

"Hello?" Aren greeted apprehensively and approached the well, covering his ears to muffle the inhumane shrieking. The harsh cacophony coming from the well stopped and an irritated voice called out to him. "Oh good! Somebody with a sense of decency! Can you help me out of this well?" Much to Aren's surprise, the voice was not the feather-light whisper of a ghost's, but the jaded sound of a young woman's. With a great amount of trepidation, Aren leaned over the edge and looked into the well.

A young woman around Ara's age with crimson tresses and cerise eyes was glaring up at him. Her sumptuous outfit was dirty and her delicate heart-shaped face was streaked with mud, parts of it were raw pink as if the skin had been scraped. She would look so delicate and docile to Aren if it weren't for the eyes… Those eyes…

They were like the eyes of an enraged psychopath.

_Great… now I have another thing to add to my list of stupid fears._

"Heelloo?! You dumb or something? Aren't you going to say or maybe… I don't know… do something?" The crimsonette snarled and narrowed her eyes. Aren shuddered and shook his head. "Ah! I do apologize… how did you get there? Did you fall in?" He queried, trying to hide the shaking in his voice. The crimsonette sighed and shook her head. "Something like that." She replied dryly and kicked the wall, more out of boredom than anything. Aren nodded and flung a look over his shoulder. "Well you can tell me more about it once I get you out of there… What's your name Miss?" He asked gently and tilted his head to the side.

Unseen to him, the crimsonette bit her lip and looked at the ground with a worried expression.

_If I tell him my real name he might know me… but wait… He's from the Eastern lands so maybe he doesn't know! But… I don't think I should risk it…_

"I'm Elsa." She lied and flipped her hair, rapping her foot against the ground with an impatient expression on her face. Aren smiled brightly. "I'm Aren."

Elsa (More like Elesis, but Aren didn't know that) heaved a noisy sigh and rolled her eyes. "How charming… now get me out of here! It smells!" She snapped and slammed her foot against the wall again. Aren cringed at the action, but he nodded his head and left the side of the well. "I'll be right back." He called as he walked towards Ara.

Meanwhile, the ebonette had been observing the event with an interested expression, straining her ears in order to catch snippets of the dialogue. Upon seeing Aren approach her, she sprang to her feet and summoned her favorite ornamental spear in a flash of lemon-gold brilliance. "Ara-" Aren began but was interrupted by his now zealous younger sister. "I have this!" She exclaimed fervently and punched the air.

"Ara-" He tried again with a note of alarm creeping into his voice. "Don't worry Nii-san! I'll have this spirit sent back to heaven before you know it!" She cried and held her hand up in the air. Aren's eyes grew wide with utter horror as he recognized that position. "ARA!" He screamed as his younger sister summoned a throbbing sphere of citron radiance with black chains whirling around it in a dizzying dance.

"SHE'S NOT A GHOST! SHE'S A PERSON WHO FELL IN THE WELL!" Aren shrieked just as Ara flung the ruinous sphere of energy at the well. There was a deafening _btoom! _and a pillar of light erupted from the ground as the sphere exploded.

"Oops…" Ara blushed brightly as smoke billowed out from the now demolished well…

Aren raised his hands to the sky in a hopeless gesture and collapsed on his knees. "You just-! What have you done!" He exclaimed and shook his head ardently. Ara sighed and pointed at the crater that had formed in place of the well. Elsa was lying there, unconscious and badly bruised. A large rock had slashed a large gash in her forehead which was now vomiting blood and her right leg was at a crooked angle, but she stirred feebly and coughed out a little blood.

"No harm no foul… she's still alive." Ara stated smugly at Aren who just gawked disbelievingly at his younger sister.

"I'm done with you."

* * *

**That concludes this super sloppy and rushed chapter of Your Typical (Not) Fairy Tale! QwQ I don't know… I was just out of sync and rushing this chapter so it turned out a little haphazardly… But I did put some humor in it… and it was a decent length at least… sorry for the slow update guys… I just have other stories and then my laziness and stuff… My next update will either be YNT or the finishing chapter of my two-shot. But here are the reviewer replies! :D Thanks to everyone who bothered to review! That makes me happy and gives me warm fuzzies! :D**

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**Konjiki No Yami- Chung has perfectly good reasons... You'll find out the answers to a lot of questions as the story goes on :D I don't know why I made Raven a pervert... maybe because everyone makes him so serious and stoic XD Eh?! I wish! XD**

**Rosamanelle- XDD Gratz on making me laugh again... Your reviews never fail to bring a smile to my face. Random question... Have you read my new(er) FF EXEC FLIP ARPHAGE? I'm sorry if that question seems pushy to you... I was just curious... Aren and Ara's situation... can't say too much as it would give away 3/4 of the story... but on another hand... it's not that hard to figure out... But the Successor of Vermillion Situation... I'm sorry Rosa... your guesses are not quite accurate... you have a good concept... but it's not right XD Go Chung! Sociopathic DC is the best! Oh just wait until IP appears! XDD **

**Alice-Neko321- Thank you! :D How's EA going for you? I did read a little bit of it and I think you're handling it fairly well... Things are coming quite a bit quicker than I would've put it but it's still very interesting X3 Good job!**

**HikaNoHana- OMG! YOU'VE READ THAT BOOK?! *Glomps* I will tell you... _His Dark Materials _like the best trilogy ever! OAO That story... _The Golden Compass _was soooo good I re-read it like a bajillion times! I thought the poisoning scene was just too good to waste when I was tihking out ideas for this story... yeah... There'll be some TGC references in here :D Raven saw... things... while in the toilet... Elesis's sisters... you'll see more of them... they're tied and true ditzes alright X3**


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